When Phantoms Cry
by Tallest Phoenix
Summary: After the appearance of a new ghost in Amity Park, strange things start to happen. People start dying. Based on the anime Higurashi. There will be blood.
1. Paranoia arc: Part 1

**First DP fic. Props go to dragonaqua.**

**Anyway, I put this up just to see who would read it. **

**WARNING: Really dark, really scary, really violent. You will NEVER look at these guys the same way again after reading this.**

**Rating: at LEAST PG-13**

**I kind of tinkered with Oyashiro… I mean, after all, he's s'posed to guard Hinamizawa, and Amity Park's not Hinamizawa. In fact… he's not even a HE. She's a cute little loli who's not even really curse-y. So, I figured… Use the name, but nothing else. And after this chapter, it just kinda… goes off.**

PARANOIA ARC: PART ONE

Danny Fenton walked through the doors of Casper High on a rainy Monday morning. Rather, he shuffled drowsily. He was half-asleep due to pulling an all-nighter ghost hunting the night before, and was looking forward to a nap in math class.

His friend Sam was absolutely no better off. Her violet eyes were laden with dark bags, barely masked by her eye makeup, and her dark hair greatly resembled a bird's nest, without even the usual ponytail to keep it out of her haggard face. "Hey," Sam mumbled weakly.

Danny replied with only a slight grunt, to show that he was still alive.

Unfortunately, Tucker was used to spending nights awake, playing video games or something of the like, and was now one hundred percent awake, and happy about it. He bounded up to the miserable two, with his usual 'good-morning' grin on his face. "Hey you guys!"

Danny groaned. "Tucker, _how_ are you not half-dead right now?"

Tucker shrugged. "I dunno. But what's up with you guys? You look like you could have bit-parts in Resident Evil."

"It's called being _human!_" yelled Sam. "You should try it sometime!"

"Yikes. _Someone's _cranky this morning…"

Sam growled. "_Someone _should take your beret and shove it up your-"

Danny sighed, getting between his friends _yet again. _"You guys, let's not do this. It's way too early."

"…You're right," said Sam reluctantly.

"Yeah, sorry."

Danny nodded. "Good." A bell rang. "We should probably get to class."

In Lit class, Danny was literally forcing himself not to go to sleep. He knew that Lancer didn't put up with people sleeping in his class, and doing so would practically mean getting locked in the Chokey.

Still… That didn't make him pay attention any. Danny saw Lancer talking, but all that he heard was "blarghity honk honk blargh". He felt himself start to doze off.

"FENTON. Are you _sleeping _in my class?"

Danny woke with a start to find his classmates staring at him, some giggling. He groaned.

Lancer scowled down at him. "Fenton, see me at-"

"The end of school today," Danny sighed. "Yeah, I know."

At lunch, the trio sat at their usual table, discussing random topics, as usual.

Danny sighed "Yeah, well… Lancer caught me dozing off. Again."

"Are you serious?" asked Sam. "That's like the third time this month."

"Your parents get on to you yet?" asked Tucker, mouth full.

"Nope. Actually, I don't think they know I've been gone. They've been working on some new invention."

"Huh…" said Tucker. "What kind of new invention?"

Danny shrugged. "Fenton plasma… Something, I don't care."

"You _should. _What if it's useful?" asked Sam.

"Yeah, maybe it could help us catch that new ghost!"

The new ghost mentioned was the same that had kept them all up that night. It looked like some masked Asian deity, and its powers were still unknown. Still, it had attacked them, and was obviously hostile.

The worst thing about it was its mask. A gold, grinning, demon face, with horns, and gaping holes for eyes. The rest of its body was black and cloth-like.

"Guys guys guys!" a tall goth boy with green hair and dark-rimmed glasses came running up, carrying a laptop under one arm.

"Luke?"

Luke stopped abruptly in front of them. "You guys. Guess what?"

"You're… gonna stop saying 'you guys'?" asked Danny.

"_No_," said Luke, bobbing slightly as he spoke.

Sam smirked. "You finally got a girlfriend?"

Luke paused. "Funny, but _no._" He sat his laptop down on the table and opened it. "You know that ghost that was crashing through Amity Park last night?"

The trio paused. "Yeah…"

"How did you see it?" asked Tucker.

"How would I not see it? I mean, come on. I've got cameras all on my roof for this stuff." Luke shook his head, trying to regain concentration. "Anyway, I did some research on that mask, and I got a few leads."

"Then go ahead," said Sam with an air of sarcasm. "_Grace _us with your wonderful information."

"I will," said Luke. "Took me awhile, but what I found out shocked me."

"What was it?"

"That ghost? Turns out it's a Japanese entity known as Oyashiro. Check it. He possesses people, makes 'em go crazy, kill people, and then he finally makes 'em disappear."

Sam snorted. "Yeah. Thanks for that."

"What? You don't believe me?" Luke asked. "Fine, then. That's cool. Just wait."

"Why are you telling us this, anyway?" asked Danny.

"You guys are my friends, first off," Luke replied. "Second, dude, your parents are ghost hunters. They can find out what he's doing here, then get rid of him. Oyashiro needs to be stopped."

Danny nodded. "Yeah he does. But… Maybe not for the reason you think."

"Or maybe so." Luke raised an eyebrow.

"Either way, he's going down," agreed Tucker.

That was when they heard a scream from behind them.

**Oooooooh. *wiggles fingers***

**And there are OCs… But mostly for plot-elevators.**


	2. Paranoia arc: Part 2

**Part two of this arc (yes there are more arcs).**

**It gets scary… I hope nobody here actually likes Dash. xD**

PARANOIA ARC: PART TWO

Half-hidden by bushes lay a bloody, muscular body.

Star was sobbing. "I j-just found him l-like this…"

Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Luke joined the crowd.

"Where did Kwan go?" someone asked.

Star sniffled. "I don't know… I was looking for him when…" she burst out crying again.

Luke nodded. "Oyashiro's curse," he whispered.

"Luke! This is serious!" said Sam. "Don't go rambling on about some curse!"

"Excuse me! Out of the way, okay? MOVE!" An orange and turquoise head was making it way through the crowd toward them.

Tucker squinted his eyes to get a better look. "Jazz?"

The frantic ginger rushed to the head of the crowd. "Danny! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Jazz," he answered. "We got here just now."

"It's Oyashiro," stated Luke, raising a finger matter-of-factly.

"Oya… wha?"

Danny sighed. "Forget him, Jazz. Do you know what happened?"

Jazz shook her head. "No. There's blood around his neck, and on his hands, so…" she stopped and shook her head. "I don't know."

"What?"

"Well… This is just a guess, but… Maybe he did it to himself."

"Why would he do that?" asked Sam. "We're talking about Mr. Popularity here."

Jazz shrugged. "I don't know."

"Oyashiro."

"SHUT UP, LUKE!"

Tucker looked up in thought. "Well… Look at the facts. Dash turns up dead in the bushes. Kwan's missing. So… either whoever killed Dash kidnapped Kwan, or…"

"Wait," said Danny. "Kwan may be a jerk sometimes… Or, well… _more_ than sometimes… but he's never really struck me as the 'murderer' type."

Sam nodded. "That's right. The only reason he goes along with the rest of the jocks when they pick on people is because he wants to fit in somewhere."

"Yeah," Tucker agreed, nodding. "Kwan _is _a nice guy…"

"So what we have on our hands is… MURDERER X!" Jazz pointed up at the sky dramatically.

"You're not naming them like you did with the ghosts," said Danny flatly.

"Awww…"

"He already has a name," stated Luke. "And it's O-ya-shi-ro."

"Will you cut that out?" snapped Danny.

Tucker frowned. "_Seriously, _dude."

Luke nodded. "Okay."

0-0-0

Danny managed to get out of detention due to the day's events, but it wasn't exactly a blessing. As soon as he got home, his parents crowded him, wanting information.

"Danny, baby, are you okay?" cried Maddie, throwing her arms around her son.

"Yeah, I'm fine, mom."

"Jazz told us all about what happened!" added Jack. "Did you see anything suspicious?"

"No, Dad," Danny answered. "We really didn't get involved too much. I mean, we were just in the crowd."

"Your friend Luke called," said Jack.

Danny groaned. "Dad, whatever he told you, it was _not _a ghost."

"Son, of course it was!" his father exclaimed, pumping a fist enthusiastically. "And we're going to stop it no matter what!" Jack grabbed his wife by the hand. "Maddie! To the lab!"

Danny sighed. "I'm going for a walk."

"Don't forget the Fenton bat!" Jack thrust a wooden bat with the word Fenton on it into his hands, and then disappeared up the stairs with Maddie.

0-0-0

Danny sighed, leaving a cloud of the mist in the cold, October air. "What is _up _with them?"

After he got a little ways, he noticed another person on the path ahead of him. It was female, with short black hair, dressed in a black top and purple pleated skirt, complete with fishnet stockings and combat boots.

"…Sam?"

Sam turned around. "Hi, Danny."

"What are you doing out here?" asked Danny.

"The same as you."

Danny nodded. "Oh." He sighed. "Luke called my parents with all that Oyashiro crap."

Sam frowned. "_Crap?"_

Danny blinked in confusion. "Sam… You don't seriously believe in that stuff… Do you? I mean… Come on! Curses? Demons? This whole thing's just a stupid superstition."

"LIES!" A flock of birds scattered, startled away by Sam's outburst.

"Sam…?"

At that point, the girl began to laugh. Danny noticed almost a supernatural glow in her eyes, whose pupils were reduced to catlike slits.

Danny was more than a bit freaked out. "Okay then…" He turned and walked the other way, then started running.

0-0-0

"Dude, I CAN'T believe you called my parents! NOT COOL!" exclaimed Danny into a microphone headset attached to his computer.

"Uh… Sorry," said Luke, his character narrowly dodging a blast from the enemy. "But Oyashiro's GOT to be stopped."

"He's right on that one, Danny," Tucker agreed.

Danny groaned. "Not you too…"

"Dude, _seriously._ I did some research of my own. People've already died from this."

Danny snorted. "Oh really? What is it, swine flu?" He sighed. "First Luke, then you, now even…" Danny paused. "Hey, Sam was acting really weird today."

"Weird?" asked Tucker. "Weird like how?"

Luke sighed. "Well, I'd love to hear of dear Samantha's weirdness, but regrettably, I gotta go."

"Seeya."

"I'll be expecting details!"

"Yeah…"

"Okay, so spill it," said Tucker eagerly.

"Well… She met me while I was outside taking a walk," Danny began.

"And?"

"And… She was acting… off. She kept saying that Oyashiro was real, and then she started laughing like a crazy person." Danny sighed. "Do you think she's lost it?"

"Ooh…" said Tucker. "_Ooh…_"

"What?"

"Danger, Will Robinson. Dude, we might wanna keep Sam at arm's length for a while."

"Why's that?"

Tucker sighed. "Let's just say… I think we might've found Dash's killer."

Danny gasped, eyes widening in shock. "You mean… Sam…"

"It's just a theory."

"Are you kidding me?" Danny exclaimed. "Sam would never murder anyone!"

"She's POSSESSED," argued Tucker. "And anyway, it's just a theory. Still, be careful."

"Danny?" called Jazz from outside the door. "Hey, Danny! Open up!"

"Jazz?"

"I brought you guys something to eat."

"You guys?" asked Danny, confused.

"Yeah. Sam's here, right?" Jazz asked. "She went upstairs to your room."

Danny's blood ran cold. "S…Sam?"

"Isn't she who you were talking to?"

"Y… Yeah," Danny replied. "Just set it down out there, okay?"

"But-"

"OKAY?"

Jazz sighed audibly. "Okay. Sheesh…" Danny heard her footsteps leave.

Danny felt the room spin. His heartbeat sped up to hummingbird pace, and he swayed.

Tucker was concerned. "Danny?"

_She was right outside the door._

**Crap, that was creepy. LOL**


	3. Paranoia arc: Part 3

**Part three. I think after this there's only one part left of this arc.**

**Did you know that in Higurashi, Inspector Oishi's last name means 'delicious'? LOL… "Hello, I'm Inspector Delicious with the Hinamizawa…" LOL**

PARANOIA ARC: PART THREE

"Danny!" Maddie sang, waking her son up. "Time to get ready for school!"

Danny groaned. "Actually, mom… I can't go to school today. I'm feeling sick…"

That excuse had saved him from having to see Sam that day, but it left him with the curse of having to go to the doctor's office. Luckily, not sleeping much gave him the appearance of being ill, so he didn't have to fake much.

On his way home, he was pulled over by a police car. "Are you Daniel Fenton?" asked the driver, a middle-aged man with dark gray hair and squinty eyes.

Danny nodded reluctantly. "Yes sir."

"I'm Inspector Sabroso of the Casper county police department," said the man. "Tell me, son… Do you recognize this young man?" He held out a school photo of a teenage boy around Danny's age. The face was so familiar it made Danny gasp.

"L..Luke…"  
"We traced the numbers on the phone we found on his body," said Sabroso. "You were the last person he called."

"So…" Danny swallowed. "Luke's… dead?"

"You were friends, weren't you?"  
"Y…Yes sir," answered Danny. "I talked to him last night. When did…?"  
"He was found this morning," the man said sighing. "Was he acting suspicious when you last spoke?"

Danny shook his head. "No sir… Just his same, weird self."

"Do you know… this girl?" Another photo.

"Sam…"

"She's the main suspect in this murder," said Sabroso. "And we believe she may have accomplices."

"I didn't do it!" defended Danny. "I was-"

"I know," replied the man. "Well, here's my number. Call me if you find anything."

"Y…Yes sir."

0-0-0

Danny was in shock. Luke was dead. Sam was a suspect. And there was a killer ghost on the loose.

Part of him wanted to know… Who was the accomplice? He shuddered.

"Danny…" said Jazz softly, walking up with a tray of cookies. "Are you okay?"

"Y…Yeah."

"I heard about your friend. I'm really sorry."

Danny paused. "How did you know about that?"

Jazz blinked. "Danny… I…. Mom told me. A police guy came to the house. Then we made these cookies for you."

"Sorry Jazz…" Pause. "We?"

"Oh yeah… " said Jazz. "Sam was over."

Danny gasped. Had Sam….?

No, he pushed that thought out of his mind. Jazz would never let her poison him. But what if she didn't know?

"She put something in one of them," Jazz continued. She laughed. "Don't worry! You'll like it! I promise! It's not like you'll die or anything."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Yeah…"

0-0-0

"It was really nice of those two to do that…" Danny said to himself. "I knew I shouldn't have worried about Sam. I mean… She's SAM. She was probably just messing with me before." He took a bit of a cookie. "Hey, these are pretty…"

Suddenly, Danny felt a sharp stab on the roof of his mouth. "OW!" He spit into his hand, revealing blood, cookie mush, and something small and very shiny.

…_A needle._

Danny panicked, throwing the rest of the food against the wall.

_So they ARE out to get me! _he thought. _This proves it!_

Danny ran straight up to his room and took out a piece of notebook paper and a pen, writing a quick note.

_June 8, 2010- I, Danny Fenton, believe my life to be in danger._

0-0-0

"So… Jazz and Sam put needles in your food?" asked Tucker over the phone.

"Yeah, dude." Danny was huddled up in a corner, looking an absolute wreck. "I am _freaking out _here. I mean, what if they try to kill me in my sleep or something?"

"Easy, Danny. Can't you just… go ghost?"

Danny shook his head frantically. "No, I tried but… I can't go ghost anymore."

"You can't? What do you mean you can't?"

"I… I don't know," Danny replied, rocking back and forth nervously. "I think Oyashiro's suppressing my powers… To make me more of a victim."

"It's okay, dude," Tucker reassured.

"IT'S NOT OKAY!" Danny screamed. "My sister and my second best friend are both out to splatter my blood against the wall! How could it be okay?"

"Danny?"

Danny made a small choking sound, as though his breathing had stopped. "Jazz…"

Jazz made her way over to him cautiously. "Danny, are you okay?" she asked. "You've been acting weird."

"ME?" Danny shrieked. "I'm not the murderer here!"

Jazz raised an eyebrow. "Murderer? Okay, what's up?"

"You know EXACTLY what's up!"

"Danny…" Jazz reached out a concerned hand.

"Stay away from me!"

"Are you-"

"STAY AWAY!"

Jazz sighed, leaving the room.

"You don't have any evidence that they're out to get you," stated Tucker.

"Yeah, other than the needle."

"Do you still have it?"  
"Yeah…. I think."

"Go get it," said Tucker. "Then show it to the police."

"…"

Danny ran downstairs…

…to find his two worst fears sitting in the kitchen.

**OOOOH.**

**Why were there NEEDLES in the cookies?**

**I MADE IT MY SELF! XD**


	4. Paranoia arc: End

**End of first arc this chapter.**

PARANOIA ARC: END

"Hey, Danny," said Sam, as though nothing had happened.

Danny pointed a shaking finger at the two girls. "YOU! W-what are you doing?"

Jazz raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Danny?"

"Yeah, I was downstairs waiting for you." Sam's pupils turned to slits again.

"I was too." So were Jazz's. "We were worried about you."

"By the way…" said Sam giggling. "Did you find that _surprise _I left you in the cookie?"

Danny snorted. "Yeah. It was so good it made me _bleed._"

"What?"

"You heard me! I know what game you two are playing, and I don't like it!"

"Danny, what's this about?" asked Jazz.

Sam laughed. "Maybe Oyashiro-sama should pay him a visit."

"Yeah, he should," agreed Jazz.

The two started laughing.

It was more than he could take.

The fear was overwhelming him.

So…

0-0-0

Danny stood panting over the two still bodies, blood everywhere. He dropped the kitchen knife and started running, not stopping until he reached a phonebooth, and did the first thing he knew to do.

Tucker picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"_Tucker…"_

"Danny?"

"_He… k-killed them…"_

Tucker blinked. "Who killed _what now_?"

"_Sam and Jazz… He KILLED them…"_

"Who did, Danny?"

"_Oh God…!"_

"Danny?"

"_He's r-right behind me!"_

"Who is?"

"_H-h-he… H-he…"_

"Take it easy, Danny. Just turn around slowly, and-"

"_I CAN'T! If I turn around, he'll… He'll…"_

"Danny, it's _okay. _My dad just called the police. They'll be there before you know it. Just turn around really quickly, and see who it is. Okay?"

"_I c-can't, Tucker… I'm scared…"_

"Yes you can."

"_I can't I can't I can't I…."_

There was a strange, pained sound from Danny's end. Tucker grew concerned. "Danny?"

"_O… ya… shi… ro…"_

Danny collapsed.

**Oooooooooo-*shot***


	5. EXPANATION

EXPLANATION:

Jazz and Sam really weren't possessed. Danny was just going crazy, and he thought they were.

When he was walking, Sam wasn't even there. He was seeing things. An old man happened along the way to find Danny yelling at air.

Danny's ghost powers actually did work. But he was so far gone that he didn't even realize, and that freaked him out more.

The needle in the cookie was actually hot sauce. The red he saw and the sting from the spice led Danny's mind to fill in the blanks and see a needle. Sam had put it in as a prank to try to lighten the mood, but obviously, that failed.

Dash and Luke also had succumbed to the same mentality. After killing Kwan out of the same paranoia, Dash clawed his throat out, still fearing his life. Luke tripped and fell down a flight of stairs, but he saw Sam push him in his mind, and, convinced that it was Oyashiro, tried to call Danny and warn him before he died. A note that he left before he died led the police to assume murder.

Lastly, Oyashiro was never behind Danny. He never even existed. Danny ended up committing suicide to escape the fear of something that didn't even exist.

It was all in his head.

Literally, all in his head.

-end arc one-


	6. Gemini Arc: Part 1

***steps out in a tuxedo* Good evening. Tonight's tale of horror and human insanity will feature OCs. So as a fair warning to those of you who don't care much for fan-made characters, you may choose to exit and read something more canon. However, I should like to point out that these are not Gary Stu's. I myself believe that Mary Sues, Gary Stu's, and the like, should be dealt with in the most humane way possible. I find that a rather heavy stick works quite nicely. So in my works, I choose to make my characters no less messed up than those already in the story.**

…**And I just made the worst **_**Alfred Hitchcock Presents **_**reference. Ever. =A=**

GEMINI ARC: PART ONE

Danny Fenton was, quite frankly, bored out of his mind.

Sam was on a family vacation (OH JOY), and Tucker was at some sort of tech convention. Even Luke had declined Danny's offer, saying that he had to babysit. What kind of person would leave their children with that guy, Danny really didn't want to know.

So now he was wandering the streets, in search of something to do.

So very absorbed in his search was Danny that he walked straight into someone else, knocking them over.

"Ah, sorry!" said Danny. "I just…" He stopped.

The person before him was a small, skinny boy about his age with pale skin and dark hair, with almost an emerald tint to it. He wore mostly black, save for an oversized orange jacket.

But the thing about him that made Danny gasp was the sheer familiarity of the boy's face. The same clear blue eyes. The same mouth, but usually upturned in a confident grin. The same thick, dark eyebrows.

"Luke?"

Luke stared at Danny as if confused.

"Did you ditch the kid or something?" Danny asked. "Or maybe you're just avoiding me."

Luke shook his head slowly. His eyes, which typically had a mischievous glint in them were now dull and unfocused. "'m not."

"Huh," said Danny. "Then did the parents come back early?"

Luke looked up from staring at Danny's feet. "Mm?"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Luke? You okay?"

"'m not Luke," the boy mumbled.

Danny frowned. "Yeah right. Cut the act, dude. I know it's you." It was just like Luke to go and pretend to be someone he wasn't, just to stay out of trouble. The boy had a knack for breaking rules and then talking his way out of punishment, but there was no way Danny was going to let his friend fool him, after seeing him do it to others so many times.

Luke cocked his head to the left slightly, with a look on his face like a curious kitten.

Danny sighed. "Okay. Then you're not him. Let's say for just this one minute that I actually believe you. Who are you, then?"

"M' name's Tony."

"Oh. Yeah." Danny rolled his eyes. "Okay. _Tony _then. Y'know, next time, you might wanna change your voice or wear a disguise or something the next time you try to do this."

Tony blinked a few times.

Then Danny's phone started ringing. He answered it. "Hello?"

"_Hey, man, 's me."_

Danny blinked in confusion. "_Luke_?"

"_Nope. It's the Greece Fairy. Listen, I'm over at your house-"_

"What?" Danny glanced back over at the Luke-clone, then back to his phone. "What is this? Is this a recording or something?"

"_No, I just told you. I'm the Greece Fairy, bearing gifts of… Greek items."_

"Greek items?"

"_Yeah, and I'm making a live appearance at your house. So hurry up and get here. No mall imposters, scout's honor."_

Danny sighed. "Yeah, I'm on my way." He turned to the other. "Sorry for the mix-up."

No reply. Danny turned and went on his merry way.

After a short while, Danny discovered that the boy from before was following him. _Creepy_, he thought, and he turned a corner quickly. The boy was still there. Eventually, though, Danny managed to lose him in the crowd.

He got to his house, to see Luke standing on his doorstep, wearing different clothes, as if to confirm Danny's mistake. Luke waved.

"Where are my Greek _items_?" Danny asked with a grin.

Luke glomped him. "I'm a Greek item!"

Danny frowned. "I want a return."

"It was a loan, anyway." Luke blinked, turning his attention to some unknown object behind Danny. He gasped. "Tony?"

Danny whipped his head around to see the other Luke standing there only a few inches away, waving soullessly. "Wait… Then, you…"

"Oh, yeah," said Luke. "This is my twin brother, Tony. He lives a few minutes out of town with my aunt. So… He followed you here?"

Danny nodded, shocked. "He… doesn't talk much, does he?"

Luke nodded. "Almost never."

"Right." Danny shook his head to bring himself back into focus. "I'm Danny, by the way."

Tony just stared.

"Go inside, kay?" said Luke. Tony nodded, and obeyed.

"So… That's your brother?" asked Danny.

Luke nodded. He got close to Danny and whispered. "If my brother starts to… weird you out, don't say anything. He can't help it."

Danny snorted. "This, from you?"

Luke shook his head. "You don't get it. He… He's got problems, y'know? I mean, like, he's not retarded or anything, and he's not seeing lioplurodons, but…" He sighed. "Crap happened a long time ago. It messed him up. He's really… I'd say depressed, but… that wouldn't even start to cover it. Just… Don't say anything, right?"

Danny nodded.

**Awwww, now doesn't that just sound like a setup? :D**


	7. Gemini Arc: Part 2

**WOOT! Back story, yay!**

**All my friends know that I love back stories. At least… I think they do. If you're my friend and didn't know… Well, NOW you do. -_-**

…**My kitty has a concussion….. ;~;**

GEMINI ARC: PART TWO

Luke and Antonio Centaurus. Two twins born to a teenaged mother, and an unknown father. Both of Greek lineage and the Messianic Jewish faith.

Their mother never showed any interest in raising them. The only reason they survived to pre-adolescence was because of their grandmother, a kind, yet rough woman. She was noticeably shorter than the boys from the time they were eleven, and was a very heavy smoker. That may have been the reason that she died a few days before they turned twelve.

Luke was always the loud one. The fighter. He had, luckily, enough happiness and confidence for the both of them, no matter what happened.

Tony was the shy one for as long as either of them could remember. He always hid behind his brother, letting him stand up for him.

The boys had their strengths. Luke, while his methods were unorthodox, was a good researcher and problem solver. He was also generally pleasant and kept a happy demeanor no matter what the circumstance. Luke had an IQ of near 200, but he was never distant. Never forced. Just real. Just _Luke._

Tony was good at a lot of things. A lot more _important _things, Luke decided, but he very rarely even noticed, and almost never received praise.

For one thing, Tony was innocent. He maintained a certain childlike purity until teen hood, when his life was… for short of a better verb, _ruined_.

Tony was also much softer and gentler than Luke. While Luke tended to grab things, Tony would slowly pick them up, cradling them in delicate fingers, even if whatever it was wasn't fragile at all. It was entirely against Tony's nature to command anything. In fact, it was rare of him to even want anything.

Tony got sick extremely easily, and had very weak lungs. It wasn't uncommon for Luke to wake up and find his little brother having an asthma attack in the bed next to him. If that happened, he would hold Tony, rubbing his back and whispering to him until he felt better, no matter how long it took. Medical professionals may have argued that method, but it always seemed to work.

Luke was always obsessed by the paranormal. Tony had his artwork.

The only person to ever fully acknowledge those abilities and love the boys for them was their aunt, a young bachelorette named Michela Centaurus, called Mitchie by family. She worked as an elementary school teacher. Mitchie often took her sister's place when it came to things like teacher conferences and chaperoning field trips, and was always there when they needed her. She was only eighteen when her nephews were born, but thought of them as her sons.

Tony and Luke spent every afternoon of their childhoods at their aunt's house, because their mother didn't care if they came home, and because Mitchie was more than glad to have them over. For them, it was a chance to feel normal. To feel safe. They spent summer evenings catching fireflies in Mitchie's yard, and stayed over in her spare bedroom, sharing the full-sized bed, curled up until they both fell asleep together.

Luke missed those days with all his heart.

Their mother hated them for "ruining her life", and was extremely abusive. And for her, Tony was always the easiest victim. When it was physical, the reason was because he was far more fragile than his brother. A mere poke might have given Tony a bruise, whereas Luke was able to break bones and walk away without even a wince. Tony's body was weak. Too weak.

Luke always tried to shield his brother from the worst of it. But no matter what, he couldn't shield him from the emotional blows. The things their mother said to him… They were hard to even repeat. Hard to accept that any mother could even think of saying that to her child.

The hell started when they turned 14.

Tony had grown quieter over time. Luke just brushed it off, since he was naturally just quiet.

Tony got extremely terrified whenever anyone but Luke tried to touch him. Then he also panicked whenever Luke went a long time _without _touching him, for fear that Luke, the person that he almost _worshipped_, hated him, just like their mother.

He stopped drawing.

He almost never spoke, and when he did, he mumbled so badly that it was next to impossible to understand him.

But somehow… Luke never really noticed.

Later on, he grew to hate himself for that. For not even paying enough attention to his brother to realize that he was in pain. Tony needed him, and Luke had been too stupid to notice.

Even after that night.

"_Tony… Tony what's wrong?" Luke's voice was fearful. Even though his brother had attacks like these all the time, it didn't make them any less frightening. "It's okay. Just take it easy. I won't let anything happen to you." He rubbed Tony's back gently and got up to look for his inhaler._

_The only problem was… that it was nowhere in sight._

"_Damn it…"_

_Tony was obviously getting worse with every pitiful gasp, and his huge, ice blue eyes were filling with tears. It had been twelve minutes since it began._

_Luke felt like crying too. He trembled as he sat next to his brother, giving him a soft, reassuring hug. "It's okay. Shh… Just calm down. I'll get you some help, Tony. I promise."_

_He reached for his cell phone (provided by Michela), and dialed the first number he could think of._

"_Hello?" the voice was young, a woman barely in her thirties. _

"_AUNT MITCHIE!" Luke screamed._

_Mitchie had to hold the phone away from her ear to prevent going deaf. "Luke? What's wrong?"_

"_I-it's Tony! H…He's having another attack, and it's really bad, and I can't find his inhaler… ANYWHERE!"_

_Mitchie sighed. "Calm down. Have you called a doctor?"_

"_N-no… I…" Luke broke down. "I'm really scared. I think he might… d-die… And…"_

"_Hang on. I'll come get you," Mitchie assured. "Stop panicking, huh? You need to be strong for your brother."_

_Luke shook, but nodded. "O-okay."_

_They both hung up._

_Mitchie was in monkey pajama bottoms, an oversized green t shirt that read 'Proud to be a TARD', her shoulder-length brown hair held back in a low pony tail, when she showed up on their doorstep._

_Luke had wrapped Tony up in a fleece blanket, holding him, waiting for her to show up. They got in the back seat together, Tony still struggling for oxygen, tears now spilling steadily down his face. Luke kept at least one arm around him at all times during the whole scenario, trying as hard as he could to calm him down._

"_Don't cry, don't cry… We're on our way to the hospital. Just try to breathe. Can you do that for me?"_

_Tony's eyelids fluttered. He was trying desperately not to pass out. He couldn't. He __**wouldn't.**__ He had to be near his big brother. He had to stay with him. Just for a few more minutes, at least... _

_Tony tried to lay his head in Luke's lap, but Luke wouldn't let him. "Don't lie down. It'll make it even harder to breathe." Tony didn't even try not to sulk. Luke sighed. "Look, if you're dizzy, just lean up against me. You know I don't mind." _

_So Tony settled for that. He felt warm… __**safe**__. All of this affectionate contact made him almost have second thoughts…_

_Luke noticed that Tony seemed a little sad while he was in the hospital. Still… He almost died. Why wouldn't he be sad?_

_At the same time, sad was sad, and Luke never left his side, even if the stay was only overnight. _

"_You can go home in the morning," Luke reminded him, smiling. Unlike others, Luke's emotion was genuine. He never even saw the need to mask what he was feeling for other's sake, and this time, he was truly happy. Happy to see his brother alive and doing well. Happy that there was no permanent damage. Happy that above all, Tony was __**feeling **__better, and wasn't crying, gasping for breath, his tiny chest aching with no chance of relief._

_Only then did Luke notice the deep red marks all over his brother's wrists. _

"_Huh?" he asked, picking Tony's wrist up to examine the wounds. "What happened? Did something scratch you?...Oh." Luke a huge grin spread across his face. "I get it. Buford doesn't take any prisoners, huh?" _

_Buford was Aunt Mitchie's fluffy black kitten. He was about seventy percent fur, and never knew when his innocent playing got out of hand. Luke himself had several scratch marks from Buford attempting to cling to his hand._

_But Luke didn't know that these weren't from Buford._

A few months passed, and Mitchie was called to the boys' school. The first thought that came to her mind was '_Oh God, Luke, what did you do this time?'_

But when she entered the classroom, she was surprised to find it Luke-free. The only other person in the room was Tony's homeroom teacher, Ms. Eckhart, an elderly woman with glasses and white hair.

She informed Mitchie that Tony hadn't been doing his class work. But she was concerned not for his grades, but for his emotional health. Eckhart knew that something was wrong, but didn't know what. Mitchie said that she would watch him.

Luke still hadn't noticed anything.

He was a little busy dealing with a secret of his own.

Luke was a ghost, after a run-in with a drunk hit and run driver. After that, he had bargained with a figure whom he identified as the Grim Reaper, and was able to go back to the world of the living at the cost of becoming a shinigami, a ghost with reaping abilities, and collecting souls for 'Grimmy'.

He had a human form, but for him, that was his false form. As Superman was born Superman, putting on glasses to become Clark Kent, Luke pretended to be human. And unlike Superman, he didn't try to be a hero. He didn't try to be a villain. He didn't_ try_ to hide himself, but he liked doing so, only for the sake of keeping his nice little secret all to himself. And no one expected him of being what he and his little rival Danny Phantom called "Soul".

Soul was out, enjoying the fun of ghost abilities, and had found a good place to hide from Phantom. Then, for some reason unknown to him, he felt like he should go home and check on Tony. He didn't feel like anything was particularly wrong, but…

Still, something was pulling him back.

Soul turned back into Luke, and marched noisily up the stairs, as always. He slammed the door open, announcing his entrance in a bold, almost cocky way. "YO! Tony! I'm-"

His words were cut short upon finding his little brother with a knife to his own neck.

Luke blinked. "…What?"

"L…Luke, I-"

"No." Luke shook his head. "What are you doing?"

Tony looked away, ashamed.

Luke transported over to the edge of the bed, causing Tony to gasp. He wasn't yet used to his house being haunted, but of course he knew, since he was there at the accident that took his brother's life.

"C…Can you… give me that?" Luke looked broken. Tony nodded slowly. Luke wrapped his arms around his brother and squeezed. "D… Did I do something?"

"W…What?"

"Did I do something?" Luke asked again.

"N… No!"

"Then why? Why would you want…?" He shuddered. "W… what… What's wrong?"

Tony was hesitant. "…I… Luke…"

"ANSWER ME!"

"I just… Mom… and school… I JUST COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE, OKAY?"

"And you were gonna fix it by doing what? BY KILLING YOURSELF!"

"You don't get it!"

"No… No I _don't _get it," Luke agreed. "Go ahead and explain it to me, Tony, because I DON'T EVEN KNOW!" And it was at that moment that Luke officially broke. His heart shattered into a million tiny pieces, with no way to put it back together. He cried, holding his little brother close to his chest. "W…Why? Oh, _God… Why? _Can… Can you just tell me that?"

Tony shook his head, because in all honesty, he didn't know anymore. He always forgot things like this at _times _like _these_, mostly because when he was with his brother, he was no longer alone. All that Tony remembered from before was that Luke wasn't there. He felt lonely. He missed his brother, and there was some nagging voice in the back of his mind that kept wondering if he would ever come back. Tony knew it was just paranoia, but it still had bored a hole into the very depths of his soul.

That sort of thing had been happening lately… To him, the lines of life and death were blurred. He wasn't even phased by pain, and for some reason, he sometimes saw things that weren't really there, but in a way, they sort of _were._ He'd often snap back into reality to find himself digging a blade into his own skin… Not out of sadness, but perhaps even a deranged kind of curiosity.

"Do you feel okay?" Luke knew that was a ridiculous question. His brother wasn't _sick. _His pain went much deeper than his body.

Or… maybe he _was _sick. A disease of the mind? And if it was a disease, there had to be a cure. It was just a matter of finding it.

Luke devoted himself to two things over the course of the next five days: researching mental conditions, and fully doting on Tony. He made sure that Tony knew he would give him anything during that time. There was nothing that Luke wouldn't do to make his brother at least a little happier, nothing. But mostly, Tony only asked for sleeping medication, and spent at least 20 hours a day snoozing with his head in his brother's lap.

It was on the fourth night that Luke finally brought up what he had been debating for the past two days.

Tony was awake, but still half-asleep, allowing himself to just be _held _by his brother, half covered by a blanket pulled from the bed.

"I think… you should go stay with Aunt Mitchie for a while," Luke whispered.

"W…What?"

"I just…" Luke paused. "I think you might do better over there. You're not safe here."

"I….. I-I-"

"Just think about it. You don't have to decide on it right away."

As much as Tony hated it, his brother was right. But not about everything. Tony felt perfectly safe with Luke, but he couldn't bother him anymore. He was being a baby. Tony decided that he needed to just leave his brother alone for once, and work through it all himself.

So a week later, he began living in Cordial Hill with their aunt. The brothers spoke on the phone every night, even if Luke did almost all of the speaking. Luke visited his brother at least once a week, blowing off any other plans he may have had, just to spend time with Tony, whose mind was slowly deteriorating.

Tony's brother was such a kind and generous person, just for looking out for him the way that he did, despite his own problems.

And Tony would do anything for Luke.

Absolutely anything.

**Next chapter starts crazy Tony!**


End file.
